[Music] Welcome To Paradise in the Pines a podcast about the people places and stories that make this the home of American Golf brought to you by the Piner Southern Pines aine area invention and visitors [Music] bureau hello again everybody I'm Phil wor president and CEO of the Piner Southern Pines amberine Area Convention and visitors bureau and we are here at the US Open taping some special shows we're going to show you over the next course of the next couple of months and we've got a really very special guest with us on this segment and that is Mike Hicks Mike uh was Payne Stewart's caddy when he won the 1999 US Open first of all Mike thanks so much for joining us it's an absolute pleasure to to meet you uh my time for the first time ever and uh man what's it what's it like to be back at the scene 25 years after pay sunk that incredible pot yeah it's hard to believe 25 years has passed um and it's exciting uh to be back and um uh it's nice to see that uh the USGA is uh this will be a third third time here now or fourth time this fourth time and going to come back every 5 years so it's exciting for uh the village of Pinehurst and uh you know what better place to have it than the mecca of golf in the United States but Pinehurst when you came back to this scene did you walk out to 18 did did you do that how much do you reminisce how much do you think now especially given the anniversary of of his win well you know I've played the course obviously a few times since uh since 99 I was here I don't know a month ago and played um so yeah you uh when you get on each hole you kind of remember certain things that happened during the course of the week in 99 and um uh they usually try to put the pen when they know I'm coming they'll put the pens out that that we had on Sunday um so uh you know it's uh it's it's very they're very cool memories when I come back talk just take us back for people that don't know you know how did your relationship with pain start well I was uh cading for Curtis Strange at the time um on a part-time basis Curtis didn't want a regular caddy he um he had myself and another guy named Don want always shared time this was uh 1984 to 1987 so we're in Japan and Payne had just fired his longtime caddy Rob K and I went up to pay I said hey if the bag opens up Payne had hired this guy that had never CAD before in his life and I went up to pay I said if this guy doesn't work out I'd like a shot at the bag so this guy lasted about a month pay came to me and said hey you want to you want to trial bases for four weeks and I said absolutely so uh four weeks turned into 12 years wow and that started when that started in uh the spring of 1988 okay so you were with pay obviously the year before when he lost um to Lee Jansen at Olympic club right how did he take that and what was his Focus over the course of the next year preparing for pineur so 98 um 98 proved he proved to himself that he could still compete at a high level in a major championship um you know we led the whole week yeah up until the last couple holes um and pay had you know he had uh changed his life he had become a Christian and um you know when you when you do that there is a change in personality and a way you live your life life so you could see that in the way he handled himself the way he treated people and the peace that he had on the golf course so um we came into this week uh really riding the momentum that we got from 98 at Olympic Club yeah I mean he was uh very confident in his game when we got here in 99 talk about what it was like to walk with him that day not so much the final hole but his demeanor like getting ready for that final round cooler day just kind of a almost Eerie kind of conditions uh atypical of a June in Pinehurst uh but talk about his demeanor at the start of that day and how we progressed through the round so we got here on the Range uh which is you know right here in front of us um back then they used the actual range yeah Maniac Hill um so we got out there and and he had a rain coat on and he was warming up and he'd hit about 20 balls and I could tell it was bugging him I mean he was not in Rhythm he wasn't hitting the ball solid and he's like and it was just just cool enough to have something else on other than a golf shirt but you know too too warm for a full rain jacket yeah so uh he said go in to pro shop and get me some scissors and I went what he yeah go in and get some scissors I'm going to cut the sleeves off this thing so I go in the Pro in the shop here right the P learning The Learning Center and I get the scissors he cuts it off to the Elbow hits four or five balls didn't like that feel and um ends up cutting whole sleeve off and uh lo and behold there's the sleeveless rain vest is invented that day and then the sleeves ended up in a trash can yeah and I guess uh you know they they uh they got the got the sleeves out of the trash can they're on display here in uh here in the clubhouse they did have them in the deuce and it the restaurant it overlooks the the final hole of Piner number two and it wouldn't it wasn't the most flattering location where people can actually walk by and see it but now it's in a much more prominent location and justifiably so um inside the U the clubhouse right right yeah so um you know he he never I mean as the day went on you know the the Mist kind of stopped you know the Sun never really came out it stayed cloudy but it got warmer as the day went on but he never took that off you know he had a good feel pain was all all about feel and um you know he had a good feel going that day and he that that sleeveless rain vest never came off did he engage with Phil at all uh during in the round no not really just kind of keeps to himself no I mean if you uh if you're in at the BL I don't care I don't care if you're playing with your best friend yeah um when you're in that situation there's not a lot of small talk going on between the the competitors what about it between you and he how much did you guys engage or you just kind of like trying to keep him in the game and just keep him in the no I mean um you know no it's it was strictly business you know uh not not much small talk not really no Small Talk going on but between shots you know you you you get to your shot and you start your routine which is you know getting the yardage what's the shot playing where's the win that type stuff um but you know he was um he was as focused as I'd have ever ever seen him you know he would get to that level in the Ridder cups and and in major championships um but he was really dialed in uh in 99 here it's funny I've probably watched the Golf Channel shows that final round no matter where it is I'll watch it every time you know what's going to happen but still it gives you Goosebumps but do you watch and see does it give you Goosebumps to to kind of look back and go man it's this is this is something that is going to be viewed for hundreds of years yeah and it never gets old seeing that uh you know it was a it was a special moment in my life and in my career and arguably it was uh you know one of the best major championships in in golf history no question to to make a 20-footer on the last hole to win the tournament you know and an age 42 and you've got all the Young Guns right there I mean at the time David Duval was number one in the world we played with him on Saturday you know tiger was just coming on the scene Ricky Fowler played well VJ sing I mean they were all right there so for him at age 42 to hold those guys off you know and Phil right there for him to hold those guys off I mean that was uh it was a special moment for for us middle-aged people you know people that aren't middle AG or older age like me um talk about those last three holes because it really I mean you talk about his mental focus and being able to perform in the clutch um talk about going down the stretch 16 17 and then maybe up to the approach out on 18 so 16 um he had a good t- shot and then pulled his two iron hit hit a limb probably 30 yards short of the green there's some Pond trees down that left side and it hit the limb kicked down in the Fairway but now now we're faced with that 40 yard shot to a to a pin that's kind of front rightish so a very tough shot and um I think he caught it a touch thin so it went way by I think we went 25 30 ft by the hole and um you know I've putted that putt many times over the years and you know you can't read that putt much less make it yeah um so at the you know we're looking at going to behind you know Phil's thinking you know and Phil's right there by the hole just in the rough not a not a terribly hard Chip Shot so you know I'm I'm sure he was thinking he's going to be two up leaving the green and as it turned out we were even leaving the green we make the 30-footer and Phil missed about a six-footer for par and now of of a sudden it's even going to that shake him up you think that shook him up I think it did I think it did a little bit and then pain stiffen it on the I tell you what one of the greatest shots I've ever seen though in golf in my whole career was the shot that Phil hit after pain it stuck it h and you know and and it was 187 yards you know that was a really big six iron for pain but Phil hit seven now back in 1999 for a seven iron to go that far I mean it just just goes to show how jacked up he was and that was one of the greatest shots I've ever seen to to come right on top of pain and hit it almost as close as he did so it it was you know just some phenomenal golf coming in uh you know and of course we make Phil misses we make now we're up one and he hits his drive down the right side at 18 on a really good line and as we're walking up we can see they got the flag there and it and he I know we were about 20 yards from the ball he say I caught it just a touch thin uh so that's why it didn't carry there yeah and it was the worst lie all week he didn't even ask what we had to the green he asked me what we had to lay up short of the Cross bunkers up there he pulls an eight iron out chops it up there I think we had 78 yards to that back pin which was a bad number you know it wasn't a full sandwich shot so that's you know you're not you're not going to go ahead and rip one because the green is out of bounds right so you know he hit it right where you were supposed to hit it 20 ft short of the hole wow yeah and I think I heard there was a teas I did you've done many interviews but you did that one recently with Gary Williams and I heard the tease for that program and said that you didn't think he was going to make the putt no I didn't uh uh I uh had a charity event scheduled for the next day with pain Fred Couples Paul azinger and Hal Sutton uh we were doing a charity event for the North Carolina children's hospital and I had Neil Lancaster on call in case one of those guys couldn't make it so I'm literally I I this is the god honest truth I'm over there going I'm going to have to call Neil to take our place CU we're playing tomorrow yeah I mean because you're not expecting you're not expecting them to make that putt I mean I don't know what percentages are but they're not very high that you're going to make that put especially to win the US Open um but you know he makes it and the rest is history where where were you standing exactly were you somewhat just I was I was on the left side of the green I was I was behind him was there a certain point over that 20 ft where you're like he might make this damn putt um or it just hit the bottom and you're just like away you know it happens so fast I don't know what the it's probably only three or 4 seconds go by before that ball to the hole um so when you see it disappear I mean it was like what what just happened here you know and uh uh you know he he grabs me by the face and um after I bear hugged him right and um you know it was a it was a little inside joke that we had we Bruce Edwards the late Bruce Edwards who CAD for Tom Watson for number of years he would call everybody a beauty you know so you know when something uh crazy would happen or something stupid would happen you know we'd call the person a beauty and he grabbed me by the face and said you beauty you beauty that's awesome yeah um talk about the Pine Crest in I understand uh obviously a local hotel here but he had an affinity for that uh local hotel which still stands today Donald while else used to own it but Payne loved that place loved it loved it great food you know family style food I mean his uh his uh signature is still in the bathroom there um uh yeah I mean that was a that was a spot that he would go to when he was in town uh definitely to the prime CR for sure when you come back here obviously the the course even the grass is different than it was in 1999 even in 2014 when you come back here and you see the course conditions now how would How would how do you think pay would fair today uh I think it would Fair fine I mean um it's going to be you know the fairways are a little more generous now than they were uh in 99 and uh 05 and 14 you we had rough then now you're back to the native areas off the Fairway but the fairways are very generous but going to Bermuda grass on these green that's going to be a different animal CU now now now all of a sudden you're factoring in slope and Grain on some of these putts and that's going to be hard I understand too in preparation for this US Open they planted thousands of what they call Pine blossoms which some people might say you don't want to call them weeds P or some want you to call them that and they're not I guess they're wire grass but they're clumps so they call them Pine blossoms um and they've added significantly more so those waste areas uh there's a chance these guys are going to get into a clump of something like that and maybe it more as a caddy I mean you probably would rather be in heavier rough than you would be in one of these pine Bloss oh for sure um because that the it's come exactly the heavy rough is predictable this the club could get you know grabbed by you know a strand but it uh it's only going to get worse as the years go on I mean they're still not quite where they want it I don't think as far as the thickness of that stuff because you can still I mean I played a month ago and you can still hit it in some areas where you're going to catch a lot and and I'll tell you right now the guy that wins this week will get lucky almost every time he hits it off the Fairway that's just how it goes I mean Lady Luck will be on your side and you'll catch these lies where you can advance to the green um but it's going to get worse and worse as these us opens continue to come here it'll get more and more penal and um you know that's what they're striving for I mean it's time we had a US Open you know these 62s they had last year I mean I'm sure pay uh look looking down from heavan was going you know what is going on is this a US Open so um I gotta think par is going to be a good score this week um and the greens are going to run about a 14 now that's in the morning yeah you know by the time the afternoon hits and the afternoon run they could be running what 15 15 and a half you they could I mean they it really going to what's going to you know we're not supposed to get any rain so the greens are going to they're going to be able to get them as firm as they want and um and they could go over the edge with it um where it could be virtually impossible to play this place I don't think the usj will do that um but it's going to be a lot a lot harder test than it was in 14 yeah I I guarantee you that when you come here especially I'm sure when you're onite you think about pain but how much do you think about pain even 25 years later on on a daily kind of basis well he's um he's on my refrigerator I've got a picture of him uh he's you know it was a it was a professional picture taken by Kazu uh he's a Japanese photographer that pain uh uh he was under you know he he worked for pain I don't know if he was under contract whatever but anytime there was a photo shoot Kazu was doing the photos and um he sent me a nice picture of him and you know he was posing for something but he's in full garb uh looks great and um I see him every day he's on my fridge when you come here and you see the statue what what goes through your mind well just you know I always get a picture yeah you know I've got pictures from you know I've actually found one the other day and sent it to my son Jacob who's uh now 30 years old and uh this was 2011 uh and I sent that picture to him and um you know he texted me back great memories you know um so I take one every time I'm here with the Statue um and you know and it it immortalizes pain you know I mean he's he's uh he's here forever and you know there's a statue of him so uh you know I pay my respects every time I'm here what does it mean to you it is the most photographed thing and Piner Resort will tell you by far it's the the most photographed thing when people come to this destination they want to find that statue they want that picture they want to stand in in fist pump just like pay did right how does it make you feel when you see other people take pictures with that statue and you're standing there and your my kicks yeah it warms your heart it does it warms your heart you know uh what a you know iconic pose I mean you know I mean just uh uh original you know his him coming up with that I mean at that moment and them capturing that moment um you know I got some great pictures of that whole sequence uh when he makes the putt blah blah blah yeah that whole that whole thing uh was just surreal was a surreal moment and uh you know they they properly named it that one moment in time you know it it surely was how often you still communicate with the family you know Christmas cards that type stuff I'll see them this week a lot we a a couple couple of functions that we're going to both be at um so it'll be good to see them I haven't seen the family in a in a few years so it'll be good to see everybody how weird was it to see the statue in a totally different place than it's been for 25 years out here as the fans come in they they wouldn't have access to it where it is right now because of the suets but now everybody 250,000 people that come here during US Open week can get a picture with pain right it um you know I knew I knew it had happened so I was on the lookout for it um so yeah it's in a good spot and it's a it's a perfect spot you know welcoming you to uh to the mecca of golf could could not be more appropriate what are you doing now let's talk about you where do you live what are you doing I'm in Kingsport Tennessee um I'm semi-retired I haven't caded in over a year I retired from caddy in last June I'm working for a company called tour caddy Collective um we um we uh entertain Corporate America there there's three of us usually on a panel that uh we do a bit of teaching uh we set up our own little net and and AstroTurf mats and we teach for about an an hour or so and then uh then we do about an hour hour and a half a Q&A and it's gone it's gone really good everybody we've done work for really loves it what do you think about the game today with with the whole live controversy and how much has the game changed since uh since you were working with ban it's be it's easier now I mean everything is uh designed to the ball's designed to go straight so you you know you're don't not as much spin on the ball so it doesn't curve as much when you m hit it um I think the game's easier uh the live situation um I think it's been good it woke up a lot of people about uh you know what was going on with the tour and and uh competition's always good and you will see all these guys together again soon in my opinion I'm sure they're going to make that happen where everybody will be back together at some point here in the near future playing again together someone like me who is familiar and remember seeing that iconic put in 1999 they they know the legacy of pine Stu or Payne Stewart um when younger Generations that maybe weren't born in by 1999 in the 2000s when they come through these Gates and they see Payne Stewart and their family says this is who this gentleman was if you had that opportunity to tell somebody looking at this statue they say who is that what would you say I'd say uh arguably one of the you know he he he's a Hall of Famer you know he um he uh was flamboyant he was a a unique personality um he separated himself with the way he dressed and but if you dress like that you have to have a game too so and and he had the game um I'd say you know not great at at one thing but very good at everything well I tell you what there's nobody that has nothing but kind words to say about Payne Stewart his legacy lives on uh we're just so glad that you took time we're honored that you joined us here at Paradise in the Pines to to talk about pain reminisce a little bit uh and also kind of look forward as to uh where we're taking this game and and this wonderful US Open and Pinter number two thanks so much for taking the time okay thank you Phil thanks very much our pleasure well if you want to learn more about tourism you can go to our website which is home of golf.com if you like our videos you can go to our YouTube channel which is home of American Golf if you like this podcast search Paradise in the Pines download it and share it with your friends and uh we'll see you next [Music] time awesome now we ended up